Man, 28, who died after suffering severe burns in major London nightclub fire

Friends say Tomas Ceidukas had been helping to rescue others trapped inside the club

By LAUREN FRUEN

10th August 2016, 9:08 am

Updated: 11th August 2016, 12:41 pm

THESE are the first pictures of the nightclub worker killed after a huge blaze tore through the popular venue on Monday.

Tomas Ceidukas, 28, died after suffering severe burns in the fire at Studio 338.

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Tomas Ceidukas died in hospital two days after being caught in a fire which tore through Studio 338

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A picture of Mr Ceidukas taken on the beach in Ibiza during a holiday for staff and their families last summer was released

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Mr Ceidukas was called 'so brave' by his friends who said he had gone back into help others

Friends say he had been helping to rescue others trapped inside the club when the blaze broke out.

The Lithuanian was rushed to a hospital in east London but a Scotland Yard spokesman said on Wednesday: "He died in hospital on Tuesday August 9."

Detectives and the Health and Safety Executive are now investigating the cause of the fire.

Tributes have since been paid to Tomas, who lived in East London, with club managers saying: “Our hearts are smashed and broken.”

In a statement, the club said: “Tomas fought for as long as he could given the extent of his injuries. He was as strong as an ox but it was too much even for him.”

The air ambulance were called to the scene of the huge fire on Monday morning to help Tomas Ceidukas

Fifteen fire engines and around 100 firefighters and officers were called to the scene of the large fire

NIGEL SAUNDERS

Tomas Ceidukas was killed when the huge blaze ripped through Studio 338

A picture of Mr Ceidukas, taken on the beach in Ibiza during a holiday for staff and their families last summer, was released by colleagues.

In a statement they said: “He was the happiest guy on the island.

“But instead of spending his time off clubbing he stayed with the family and played with the kids by the pool, always making sure everyone was having a great holiday, helping with the food and generally just being Tomas.

“He was so pure and beautiful. An inspiration to us all, always positive, never complaining, working through the night to make sure the parties were the best they could be.

“We are all so devastated to lose him like this.”

One of Tomas’ friends said she had been told Mr Ceidukas had helped escort people from the burning club before becoming trapped.

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The air ambulance rushed Tomas to a nearby hospital but a Scotland Yard spokesman confirmed he had died

NIGEL SAUNDERS

Mr Ceidukas was airlifted to hospital suffering serious burns

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The victim was identified by the club as Studio 338 staff member Tomas

The air ambulance was on the scene as thick, black smoke could be seen for miles across the city as the fire raged close to a recycling yard and industrial units.

A London Ambulance Service spokeswoman said: “We were called at 11.58am to reports of a fire at an address on Tunnel Avenue, SE10.

“We sent a single responder in a car, an ambulance crew, our hazardous area response team, two incident response officers and London’s Air Ambulance to the scene."

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They confirmed the fire affected the ground and first floor of nightclub Studio 338 and an industrial warehouse.

A scrap paper processing yard containing a number of outbuildings was also affected by the fire, along with around 40 pallets of paper.

A spokesman for London’s Air Ambulance said: “Our advanced trauma team was dispatched by the London Ambulance Service at 12.10 to reports of a fire in the Greenwich area. London’s Air Ambulance has flown one person to a nearby major trauma hospital.”

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Studio 338 describes itself as 'cutting edge electronic music on London's only all night terrace'

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It is understood the club recently had a new roof installed

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Internal pictures of Studio 383 which is believed to have been gutted in the fire

Images shared across social media showed a plume of black smoke which could been seen across the capital.